Archives for December 29, 2007

'"Ty said he wore a deep-sea diver's suit under his equipment to stay warm because he was standing all the time," said forward Colby Armstrong, who grew up playing pond hockey in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. "I don't know if it will get that cold, but it will be weird to see."'

'"We played outdoors all the time when I was a kid. It was fun," said Buffalo's Maxim Afinogenov, who grew up in Russia. "We didn't even know what it was like to play indoors. When you were growing up in Moscow, you always played outdoors."'

'The Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins will switch ends halfway through the third period of the NHL Winter Classic on New Year's Day to ensure that each team spends an equal number of minutes attacking or defending each goal so any advantages or adversities created by weather conditions at Ralph Wilson Stadium will be nullified.'

'“What we have today is a low of 20 or so, and a high of about 32 — a little bit of rain, a little overcast,” Renzulli, the N.H.L.’s senior vice president for events and entertainment, said Thursday. “And that’s the forecast right through the game as of today. As long as it stays like this, it’s not a problem at all.”'

'In Edmonton, the players benches were heated, which provided relief from the cold but created a problem. "It was so hot on our bench, you couldn't acclimatize," said Smyth. "You'd go from really cold to really hot."'

'“I kept my options open but the team had other things like Chris [Drury] and Danny [Briere] to deal with so I understood,” Zubrus said before Friday’s game between the teams in Prudential Center. “I kind of knew those are things that had to be solved first before I got a phone call and I never really did get one.”'

‘Miller was sensational in making 34 saves in regulation and overtime. He kept Buffalo alive in a first period that saw the Devils dominate with a 13-2 edge in shots. Meanwhile, Brodeur made 26 saves.’

‘“People want to be outside” during the New Year’s Day game, said Nick Giammusso of VIP Seats, an Amherst ticket brokerage. “They want to experience the outdoors. They want to be outside drinking beer and cooking on their grills.”’

'"The puck's a lot harder, your pads don't absorb it as much when they're stiffer," said Stewart. "The big concern is the goalie's glove. Is the puck going to hurt when they catch it? Pucks are going to hurt when you get hit in the foot more. It's going to sting more. It is a concern."'